This invention relates generally to automated inspection systems, and more particularly, to systems and methods for monitoring a presence and/or condition of components using RFID systems and other sensor motes.
At least some known airlines are governed by government and/or safety regulations that require each airplane seat is properly equipped with a floatation device for use by the passenger in the unlikely event of a water landing. A current known airplane inspection process to verify that each seat has the requisite floatation device is time consuming and labor intensive. The inspection process requires a person, to check underneath each seat or a compartment beside the seat, to verify that there is a floatation device and also ensure that its expiration date is within acceptable limits in accordance with the governing regulations. Some airplanes may be configured with hundreds of seats such that the inspection process for each seat would have to be repeated for every seat leading to the time consuming and labor intensive characteristics of the process. Furthermore, due to the labor intensive characteristic, the process is prone to possible errors and thereby requiring additional cross-checks as deemed appropriate. The time consuming characteristic of the floatation device check may also adversely impact airplane turn-around time thereby mitigating its utilization efficiency. Therefore, both the time consuming and labor intensive nature of the manual airplane inspection process for floatation device check result in increased operational costs.
Currently, life vests can be detected on the airplane by attaching an RFID tag onto the vest. By this method, an RFID reader can detect the plurality of life vests on the airplane, and by counting, can determine that all required vests are on the plane. This does not determine that all vests are properly stowed, as stolen items placed in passengers' baggage or misplaced vests are still detected. Further, numerous signals are received from all the RFID tags attached to all the seats in the “view” of the reader.
Currently, life vest tampering can be detected by placing a frangible RFID tag on the life vest pocket, such that removing the life vest destroys the RFID tag. Again, an RFID reader can detect the life vests on the airplane, and can, by counting, verify that all the required vests are present and not tampered with. However, the stolen vest cannot be detected at all, and the problem of multiple signals remains.